362 BULLETIN 195, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



only eight were removed from different birds. The parents always stopped a few 

 seconds after feeding, possibly waiting for the appearance of an excreta sac. 

 In the case of the nestling voiding the excreta, there were usually some premoni- 

 toiy signs: viz., general uneasiness, ruffling the feathers, and flirting the tail. 

 Then followed the elevating of the posterior end of the body, and as the sac came 

 away the parent bird seized it and either devoured it or carried it away. * * * 

 It would seem * * * that about the eighth or ninth day the old birds ceased 

 devouring the excreta and commenced to carry it away. * * * 



At about noon, June 28, the young birds became very restless, especially Green 

 and Orange. They were continually crawling out of the nest and back 

 again. At 12 : 30 p. m. Green crawled out of the nest and sat chirping for 

 a short time. He then spread his wings and made an attempt to fly, but only 

 succeeded in going a few inches. Immediately on falling he commenced to hop 

 rapidly away ; stopping a short interval at a fence about 10 feet distant. One 

 of the old birds returned at this time and coaxed him along until he reached the 

 top of a little hill some 60 yards away. * * * At 2 : 10, Orange left the nest 

 in much the same way. The male went with him and by coaxing him a short 

 way at a time soon had the second nestling on the little knoll occupied by Green. 

 The male busied himself the rest of the day caring for these two while the female 

 fed White and Blue in the nest. 



The next morning White started away at 7 : 07 and was coaxed along by the 

 female for about 30 yards. Blue remained alone in the nest until 7 : 45, being 

 fed only once in the interval, though White was fed three times. 7 : 45 Blue left 

 the nest, but no parent bird returned to aid in the journey as long as the obser- 

 vations were continued. At 8 : 15, when the observations ceased, Blue was still 

 alone in the grass. Later all four of the fledglings were found in the ravine 

 nearby. They were noticed here several times, July 25 being the latest date on 

 which they were positively indentified. 



Amelia R. Laskey tells me that "a fledgling fed by hand, but given 

 freedom, was noted singing a very soft song on July 24, when 44 days 

 old. This song was similar to the autumn singing heard each year in 

 August and September in the garden." 



A. L. Pickens sends me the following note on the method used by 

 a thrasher in coaxing its young from the nest : "The young had been 

 hatched in a rose vine at the edge of our front porch and were at that 

 stage where they could clamber out of the nest and perch in the sur- 

 rounding vines. They could not fly, but the old bird seemed anxious to 

 have them leave a spot so frequently examined by human eyes. Coax- 

 ing having failed, the parent resorted to strategy. She came to the 

 nest with a small piece of paper so folded and compressed together as 

 to resemble, especially in size, the morsels of food usually brought to 

 the young. This she held temptingly first above one young one's mouth, 

 then above another's. But as the young beaks were expectantly ex- 

 tended she raised or withdrew the bogus morsel still farther away. 

 Then she flew away to a short distance still temptingly holding the bit 

 of paper. At last one of her offspring, fluttering and clambering, 

 dropped to the ground, and she began leading it along a route that led 

 through the yard and grove, evidently to the denser growth of a small 

 wood nearby. Fearing for the young's safety I captured it and 



